Explicating Affordances: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Affordances in Communication Research

This study aims to clarify inconsistencies regarding the term affordances by examining how affordances terminology is used in empirical research on communication and technology. Through an analysis of 82 communication‐oriented scholarly works on affordances, we identify 3 inconsistencies regarding the use of this term. First, much research describes a particular affordance without engaging other scholarship addressing that affordance. Second, several studies identify “lists” of affordances without conceptually developing individual affordances within those lists. Third, the affordances perspective is evoked in situations where the purported affordance does not meet commonly accepted definitions. We conclude with a set of criteria to aid scholars in evaluating their assumptions about affordances and to facilitate a more consistent approach to its conceptualization and application.     

Validating the distinction between computer addiction and engagement: online game playing and personality

This article considers validatory evidence for the previously made distinction between (pathological) computing-related addictions and (non-pathological) high engagement in computing activities, and an associated distinction between core and peripheral criteria for diagnosing computing-related addictions. Using data provided by 388 players of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) via an online questionnaire, psychometric measures of engagement and addiction to the MMORPG taking into account the distinction between core and peripheral addiction criteria are shown to be differentially related to personality factors (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, negative valence, and attractiveness). Addiction scale scores are shown to increase as negativity on all five personality characteristics increases, with these characteristics predicting 20% of the variance in addiction scores, but the same pattern is shown to occur for only one characteristic (negative valence) for the engagement scale, with personality characteristics predicting only around 2% of the variance in engagement scores. It is concluded that there is reasonable support for the distinctions between addiction and engagement and between core and peripheral criteria. Implications are discussed.     

The impact of hyperlink affordance,psychological reactance,and perceived business tie on trust transfer

This study investigates the impact of hyperlink affordance, psychological reactance, perceived loss of freedom, perceived business tie between sites, and trust in source site, on trust in target site. Hyperlink affordance represents the extent that the Web encourages users’ behavior. Perceived loss of freedom is based on psychological reactance, which refers to the extent that users react to hyperlink affordance. In order to examine the research model, this study used 305 responses from Korean users to conduct three experiments: (1) evaluate trust transfer from the online source Web site to another online target site (Experiment 1), (2) evaluate trust transfer from an online site to an offline target site (Experiment 2), and (3) evaluate trust transfer from an offline site to an online target site (Experiment 3). Trust is transferred from source to target site in the test results of all three models. The hyperlink affordance affects trust transfer in the test results of Experiment 1. Perceived loss of freedom based on psychological reactance negatively affects trust transfer in the test results of Experiments 2 and 3, which decreases the effect of hyperlink affordances on trust transfer. The perceived business tie between sites affects trust transfer in the test results of Experiment 3. The study provides insights into the application of trust transfer in various settings of source and target site in online and offline business.     

Why Do Some People Become Addicted to Digital Games More Easily? A Study of Digital Game Addiction from a Psychosocial Health Perspective

Exploring digital game addiction from a psychosocial perspective has gained much attention because digital game addiction is a serious social computing issue related to public health. A number of studies have empirically tested the effects of depression and loneliness on aggression, but few studies have explored the relationships among the psychosocial constructs (i.e., depression, loneliness, and aggression) and their effects on game addiction. In addition, the mediating role of aggression in digital game addiction has neither been proposed nor empirically tested. Moreover, although the psychological constructs related to game addiction have been proposed as multidimensional concepts and digital game addiction itself has been suggested as a multidimensional construct, few studies have been proposed and conducted using multidimensional constructs. This study sought to fill these gaps by proposing an integrated model of digital game addiction from a psychosocial health perspective. In particular, this study had three objectives: (1) to propose a second-order game addiction model addressing the relationships among loneliness, depression, aggression, and game addiction as multidimensional constructs and presenting aggression as a mediator between other psychosocial constructs and game addiction; (2) to empirically validate the proposed model using survey data obtained from actual online game users; and (3) to provide new insights for game policymakers in dealing with the digital game addiction issues. Based on the empirical findings, the theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed herein.     

Exploring user experiences as predictors of MMORPG addiction

The overuse of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) is becoming a significant problem worldwide, especially among college students. Similar to Internet addiction, the pathological use of MMORPG is a kind of modern addiction that can affect students’ lives on both a physical and a psychological level. The purpose of this study is to understand MMORPG addiction from a user experience design approach. We first developed a complete model that includes eleven factors (challenge, fantasy, curiosity, control, reward, cooperation, competition, recognition, belonging, obligation and role-playing) to represent users’ experience in MMORPGs. After that, we design a questionnaire to measure student’ gaming experience and level of addiction. Students’ demography information, including gender and game playing habits, was also collected. Four hundred and eighteen Taiwanese college students aged 18–25 years old took part in this online survey. Regression analysis was then conducted to evaluate the relative explanatory power of each variable, with addiction score as the dependent variable and the eleven user experience factors as the independent variables. The results of regression analysis reveal five critical factors (curiosity, role-playing, belonging, obligation and reward) that can be used to predict MMORPG addiction. In addition, this study also infers possible casual mechanisms for increasing college students’ level of addiction. The implications of our findings for both design and educational practitioners were also discussed.     

An affordance perspective of enterprise social media and organizational socialization

In response to the challenge of socializing new IT employees, some IT departments are exploring the incorporation of enterprise social media (hereinafter ESM) as an informal organizational socialization tool. Because this is a relatively new phenomenon, little is known about how ESM facilitate employee socialization. In order to contribute to our understanding of how ESM affects employee socialization, this paper invokes a case study to explore how one organization’s implementation of an ESM for its IT new hire program influenced the socialization process and outcomes. To delve deeply into how the ESM influences socialization, we draw upon technology affordance theory to uncover the various first and second-order affordances actualized by different actor groups and the various outcomes resulting from the affordances. We then identify five generative mechanisms – bureaucracy circumvention, executive perspective, personal development, name recognition, and morale booster – that explain how the actualization of different strands of affordances by various groups of users produces eight different outcomes. Our results provide insights into the different affordances made possible by ESM in the context of a new hire socialization program and how these affordances have repercussions beyond those experienced by the individuals using the ESM. The results have important implications for new hire socialization and technology affordance research.     

Understanding customers' repeat purchase intentions in B2C e‐commerce: the roles of utilitarian value,hedonic value and perceived risk

Customer loyalty or repeat purchasing is critical for the survival and success of any store. By focusing on online stores, this study investigates the repeat purchase intention of experienced online buyers based on means‐end chain theory and prospect theory. In the research model, both utilitarian value and hedonic value are hypothesised to affect repeat purchase intention positively. Perceived risk is hypothesised to affect repeat purchase intention negatively and moderate the effects of utilitarian and hedonic values on repeat purchase intention. Utilitarian value is proposed as a formative second‐order construct formed by product offerings, product information, monetary savings and convenience. Hedonic value is also proposed as a formative second‐order construct formed by the six hedonic benefits that have been identified in prior research. Data collected from 782 Yahoo!Kimo customers provide strong support for the research model. The results indicate that both the utilitarian value and hedonic value are positively associated with buyers' repeat purchase intention. A higher level of perceived risk reduces the effect of utilitarian value and increases the effect of hedonic value on repeat purchase intention. Implications for theory and practice and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Affective affordances: Improving interface character engagement through interaction

The nature of humans interacting with interface characters (e.g. embodied agents) is not well understood. The I-PEFiC model provides an integrative perspective on human–character interaction, assuming that the processes of engagement and user interaction exchange information in explaining user responses with interface characters. An experiment using the Sims2 game was conducted to test the effects of aesthetics (beautiful versus ugly, as engagement factor) and affordances (help versus obstacle, as interaction factor) of interface characters on use intentions, user engagement, and user satisfaction. Results of the experiment showed that (1) people tended to use helpful characters more than obstructing characters, (2) user engagement was enhanced by beauty and perceived affordance of the character whereas (3) intentions to use the character were not affected by good looks, and (4) the most satisfied users were those that were engaged with the character as well as willing to use it. This stresses the importance of enhancing affordances so to increase user engagement with interface characters. The I-PEFiC model provided a valuable framework to study the (interdependent) effects of relevant factors in human–character interaction.     

Examining common information technology addictions and their relationships with non-technology-related addictions

A number of novel problematic behaviors have emerged in the information technology era, and corresponding addictions have been proposed for some of these behaviors. Scholars have speculated that a common factor may underlie these information technology addictions, but this theoretical notion has yet to be tested empirically. The present study tested this notion and also investigated the relationships of information technology addictions with other behavioral addictions as well as substance addictions. We conducted an online survey in 1001 US adults (56% female; mean age = 35.0 years, range = 18–83). Two conceptual models were formulated and tested. Moreover, correlations of the information technology addictions with both problematic gambling and alcohol use disorder were examined. The confirmatory factor analysis showed that there was a common factor underlying various types of information technology addiction. In addition, problematic gambling was more strongly correlated with information technology addiction than alcohol use disorder was. Our findings are interpreted in light of a spectrum approach, which conceptualizes information technology addiction as a cluster of disorders comprising not only shared risk factors and symptoms but also distinct characteristics. The findings further reveal that information technology addiction is more similar to other behavioral addictions than substance-related addictions. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.     

Hedonic and Utilitarian Motivations for Physical Game Systems Use Behavior

With the recent proliferation of physical game systems in entertainment contexts, gaining a better understanding of why users are willing to utilize physical game systems has become an important topic for practitioners and academics. The current study attempts to explore the determinants of behavioral intention pertaining to the use of physical tennis games from the perspective of both hedonic and utilitarian motivations. A research model is proposed based on the existing literature. Data collected from 124 experienced players of physical tennis games are tested against the research model using the partial least squares approach. The results indicate that both perceived exercise utility and perceived enjoyment have a significant influence on behavioral intention. In addition, perceived motion-sensing, challenge, interactivity, ease of use, and design aesthetics are found to have a significant effect on perceived enjoyment. More specifically, perceived motion-sensing is observed to be the antecedent of perceived exercise utility. The findings of this study provide several important implications pertaining to both the research and practice of physical game system development and diffusion.     

User Interface Affordances in a Planning Representation

This article shows how the concept of affordance in the user interface fits into a well-understood artificial intelligence (AI) model of acting in an environment. In this model AI planning research is used to interpret affordances in terms of the costs associated with the generation and execution of operators in a plan. This article motivates the approach with a brief survey of the affordance literature and its connections to the planning literature and then explores its implications through examples of common user interface mechanisms described in affordances terms. Despite its simplicity, the modeling approach ties together several different threads of practical and theoretical work on affordance into a single conceptual framework.     

Why do you play World of Warcraft? An in-depth exploration of self-reported motivations to play online and in-game behaviours in the virtual world of Azeroth

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are video games in which players create an avatar that evolves and interacts with other avatars in a persistent virtual world. Motivations to play MMORPGs are heterogeneous (e.g. achievement, socialisation, immersion in virtual worlds). This study investigates in detail the relationships between self-reported motives and actual in-game behaviours. We recruited a sample of 690 World of Warcraft players (the most popular MMORPG) who agreed to have their avatar monitored for 8 months. Participants completed an initial online survey about their motives to play. Their actual in-game behaviours were measured through the game’s official database (the Armory website). Results showed specific associations between motives and in-game behaviours. Moreover, longitudinal analyses revealed that teamwork- and competition-oriented motives are the most accurate predictors of fast progression in the game. In addition, although specific associations exist between problematic use and certain motives (e.g. advancement, escapism), longitudinal analyses showed that high involvement in the game is not necessarily associated with a negative impact upon daily living.     

Information Technology and organizational innovation: Harmonious information technology affordance and courage-based actualization

Researchers and practitioners have long believed that information technology (IT) is a key tool for fostering innovation. However, there is a certain inconsistency in the literature, which makes it challenging for researchers to figure out exactly how and why IT plays such a pivotal, strategic organizational role. The motivation for this research is the multiple contradictory results reported by studies investigating the influence of information technology (IT) on organizational innovation. This study utilizes a fit-based perspective in an attempt to disentangle these contradictions. Using Venkatraman’s (1989) seminal paper on fit, we conceive of two critical fit-based concepts: harmonious IT affordance in an organization (HITA) and a subsequent fit between HITA and organizational courage. HITA reflects a covariance fit (coalignment) between the three major IT affordances in an organization—collaborative affordance, organizational memory affordance, and process management affordance. Organizational courage reflects the boldness (risk-taking ability) of the organization. Finally, HITA and organizational courage represent a matching fit (reflected as actualized HITA) that influences two kinds of innovation: exploratory and exploitative. Two studies, conducted in the US and Chinese contexts, provide support for this theory. The main contribution of the paper is in showing that IT can lead to innovation if (a) organizational IT affordances harmoniously coalign (as HITA); (b) and, organizational courage acts as a powerful contingency that actualizes HITA, and this actualized HITA influences innovation.     

Modeling outcomes of violent video game play: Applying mental models and model matching to explain the relationship between user differences,game characteristics,enjoyment, and aggressive intentions

While much research on video games has focused on aggressive outcomes, the extant research has not come to consensus on the role of other factors, notably enjoyment, frustration and individual differences amongst players, in mediating the link between violent game play and aggression. This experimental design uses a mental models approach to examine game features (e.g., controller naturalness), player characteristics (e.g., first person shooter experience, sex, degree of competitiveness) and the game play experience (e.g., perceived game realism, immersion, game failure, frustration and enjoyment) to explain aggressive outcomes. Results from a revised path model suggest perceived realism, immersion, and experience with other first person shooters all positively predicted enjoyment while frustration negatively predicted game enjoyment. Frustration and enjoyment both predicted state aggression. The findings of this study support the application of mental models as a theoretical approach to unify thinking about violent games, contextual features of violent games, individual difference variables and differences in player perceptions and game experiences with regards to outcome aggression. Results are discussed in terms of the model matching hypothesis and implications for the comprehensive study of violent game play, including the importance of enjoyment and frustration, are also discussed.     

Enhancing self-efficacy for career development in Facebook

The literature has two competing perspectives on Facebook: One claims positive effects of Facebook on individuals, while the other suggests detrimental effects. The contrasting perspectives are due to the technology-deterministic approach centering on Facebook “use” as opposed to non-use, neglecting the idiosyncrasies of members and the roles of their context. Accordingly, this study focuses on current college student members and enhancement of their self-efficacy for career development in Facebook, given college students’ loyalty to Facebook and their increasing financial uncertainties in the US. We posit that Facebook provides two affordances (i.e., affordance of virtual people watching and affordance of garnering social support), which in turn increase chances of two important sources of self-efficacy—i.e., gaining vicarious experience and social persuasions. An online survey with 260 college student Facebook members was conducted; the results of data analyses corroborated our hypotheses. These findings identify the unique affordances of Facebook for self-efficacy development, thereby expanding the social cognitive theory by demonstrating that technology affordances translate into effective sources of self-efficacy.     

Student’s perceptions towards using e-learning via Facebook

Research on utilising social networks for teaching and learning is relatively scarce in the context of information systems. There is far more emphasis on studying the usage of social networks towards fulfilling individuals’ basic social needs. This study uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) to analyse students’ intention to use and use of e-learning via Facebook. It incorporates playfulness into the UTAUT2 model and categorises the determinants of intention to use e-learning via Facebook into three categories, namely, hedonic values, utilitarian values, and communication values. The data were collected in a two-stage survey from 170 undergraduate students, and the model was tested using structural equation modelling. We found that hedonic motivation, perceived playfulness, and performance expectancy were strong determinants of students’ intention to use e-learning, while habit and facilitating conditions all positively affected students’ use of e-learning via Facebook. The results of this study report new knowledge that academic institutions can utilise to create appropriate e-learning environments for teaching and learning. A number of theoretical and managerial implications for universities’ implementation technologies were also identified.     

Putting humans back in the loop: An affordance conceptualization of the 4th industrial revolution

The current technology epoch—sometimes called the fourth industrial revolution (4IR)—involves the innovative application of rapidly advancing digital technologies such as artificial intelligence. Societal implications of the 4IR are significant and wide-ranging, from life-saving drug development to privacy loss and app addiction. A review of the information systems literature, however, reveals a narrow focus on technology-enabled business benefits. Scant research attention has been paid to the role of humans and humanistic outcomes. To spur new research addressing these issues, formalised affordance theory is employed to develop a new 4IR conceptualization. Four groupings of affordances that capture salient 4IR action possibilities are developed within two categories: machine emulation of human cognition (expansive decision-making and creativity automation) and machine emulation of human communication (relationship with humans and intermachine teaming). Implications are explored in the context of human-machine coworking and the development of artificial intelligence safety regulations. Overall, the affordance conceptualization of the 4IR advances a new sociotechnical lexicon of action possibilities and their joint enactment in achieving humanistic and instrumental outcomes, enabling alignment of the scope of 4IR research with the scope of 4IR phenomena—and bringing humans back into the loop.     

Does confirmation always matter? Extending confirmation-based theories

Related theories have highlighted how important confirmation is to satisfaction. However, in their examinations of the effect of confirmation, all past studies viewed consumption experience from an overall perspective only. Given that the utilisation of online services may generate more than one type of benefits to customers, there is a need to decompose the overall concept into different dimensions and re-examine the importance of confirmation from different perspectives. In this study, based on goal-directed and experiential concepts, we separated the benefits provided by online social network services into two types: utilitarian and hedonic. Then, through confirmations, we tested their direct and indirect impacts on satisfaction. Data collected from 653 student-based Facebook users showed that perceived hedonic benefit is more strongly correlated with satisfaction than is perceived utilitarian benefit. In addition, the insignificant path coefficient hints that confirmation of hedonic benefits is not as important as indicated by related theories. We believe that our results generate interesting implications towards both academia and practitioners.     

Perceived school climate and adolescent Internet addiction: The mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of effortful control

Although recent studies have documented that perceived negative school climate is associated with adolescent Internet addiction, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relation. The present study examined whether deviant peer affiliation mediated the relationship between perceived school climate and adolescent Internet addiction, and whether this mediating process was moderated by adolescent effortful control. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from 2758 Chinese adolescents (mean age = 13.53 years, SD = 1.06). After controlling for demographic variables, perceived school climate was positively associated with adolescent Internet addiction. Mediation analyses revealed that deviant peer affiliation partially mediated the association between perceived school climate and adolescent Internet addiction. Tests of moderated mediation further indicated that the mediated path was weaker for adolescents with higher effortful control. Results highlight the significance of identifying the mechanisms that moderate the mediated paths between perceived school climate and adolescent Internet addiction.     

Social positioning matters: A socialized affordance perspective of mHealth in India

Existing research on technology affordance rarely considers the role of social structures in shaping the interaction between human actors and technology. In this paper, we draw upon the concept of social positioning to explore how socialized affordances of technology adoption, as well as their impact in work and social life, are shaped by the social positions that human actors occupy within multiple social structures. We do so by examining the adoption of mHealth devices by community health workers in India. The study generates theoretical implications for research on affordances of technology and social structures by integrating social positioning of actors in the analysis of a digital practice, and enriching IS research by incorporating the broader social arrangements and power relations.